Casket closure and sealing means



July 10, 1956 H. w. BAKER, JR z'mfm GASKET CLOSURE AND SEALING MEANSFiled April 19, 1955 4 Shee'Ls-Sheef 1.

.IN V EN TOR.

0 mom w. BAKER, JR.

ATTORNEYS Emmy Mm 1956 H. w. BAKER, JR 2,753,513

GASKET CLOSURE AND SEALING MEANS 4 Sheets-Shee 2 Filed April 19, 1955 E;h F. 6 lg.

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INVENTOR. HAROLD w. BAKE;R,JR.

BY @WM -fvuzr ATTORNEYS July 10, 1956 H. w. BAKER, JR

GASKET CLOSUREAND SEALING MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 19, 1955INVENTOR. HAROLD w. BAKER,JR.

ATTORNEYS July l0, 1956 H. w. BAKER, JR 2,753,6113

GASKET CLOSURE AND SEALING MEANS Filed April 19, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4IN V EN TOR. 84 HAROLD W. BAKER,JR.

BY [Ewa-MVM ATTORNEYS United States Patent CASKET CLOSURE AND SEALINGMEANS Harold W. Baker, Jr., Bryn Mawr, Pa., assigner to ConnersvilleCasket Company, Inc., Cennersville, Ind., a corporation of IndianaApplication April 19, 1955, Serial No. 502,275

Claims. (Cl. 27-17) This invention relates to means for closing andsealing a casket and, more particularly, relates to such means incombination with a so called half couch casket, that is, a casket havingseparate head and foot lids.

lt is an object of this invention to provide half couch casket closureand sealing means whereby the casket can be closed and sealed throughthe operation of mechanism at but a single point. t

lt is a further object of this invention to provide means for closingand sealing a half couch casket which is provided with reliable sealingmeans which can be readily installed with the minimum of modification ina half couch casket.

lt is a still further object of this invention to provide a half couchtype casket having means for closing and sealing a casket which ispositive in action.

ln accordance with this invention, a particularly positive andsatisfactory seal is achieved at the junction of the lid sections in anovel manner, namely, by advancing one of the lid sections towards theother lid section. This unique structure eliminates 'the complexities ofgasket structures which have heretofore been found in half couch casketsand effects a highly superior seal.

The objects and nature of the invention will be further clarified onreading the following description in conjunction with the drawings inwhich:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a half couch casket inaccordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the casket of Figure 1 with both lids closed.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the plane indi-` cated by theline 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section, partially broken away, taken on theplane indicated by the line 4 4 in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective View, partially broken away, of a portion ofthe gasket on the head and foot sections in the area shown by thephantom circle labeled figure 5 in Figure 2, this view showing the footlid raised slightly above the body portion of the casket.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the plane indicated by the line6-6 in Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a vertical section, partially broken away, taken on theplane indicated by the line 7-7 in Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a plan View of the structure of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a section, partially broken away, taken on the planeindicated by the line 9 9 in Figure 1.

Figure l0 is a front elevation, partially broken away, taken on theplane indicated by the line 10^-10 in Figure 2.

Figure ll is a front elevation, partially broken away, oi' the structureof Figure 10 with the head lid slightly elevated above its respectivegasket.

Figure l2 is a top perspective view of the gasket shown within thephantom circled marked ligure 12 in Figure 2.

Figure i3 is a side perspective View of a head lid hinge. Figure 14 is avertical section, partially broken away, taken on the plane indicated bythe line 14-14 in Figure rice 2, and showing the lids after they havebeen lowered onto the body of the casket.

Figure 15 is a vertical section showing the mechanism of Figure 14shortly after the action of the closure mechanism has been initiated.

Figure 16 is a vertical section showing the mechanism of Figure 14 afterthe closure mechanism has acted to pull the head lid towards the footlid.

Figure 17 is a vertical section showing the mechanism of Figure 14 withthe closure mechanism in the fully closed position.

As shown in Figure 1, a half couch casket 2, in accordance with thisinvention, has a body 4. A head lid 6 is secured to body 4 by hinges 8and a foot lid 10 is secured to body 4 by hinges 12.

Casket 2 is provided with sealing gaskets. A substantially U-shaped (inplan) gasket 14 of, for example, rubber, rests on flange 15 of body 4and has an inner raised seal edge 16, Gasket 14 lies below head lid 6when the latter is lowered with the exception that the substantiallyvertical front and rear end faces 16, 18 of gasket 14 terminate short ofthe inner end of head lid 6.

Adjacent both front and rear end faces 18, 18, gasket 14 is providedwith a metal insert 20 and has a pair of openings 22 which register withopenings 24 in insert 20. Head lid 6 is provided with a pair of pins: 26for engagement in the openings 24 of each of the inserts 20.

Gasket 14 may be secured to flange 15 by an adhesive indicated at 28 inwhich event the end portions of gasket 14, adjacent to front and rearfaces 18, are left free for a distance back to a point indicated at 30as shown in Figure l1 in order to permit the horizontal advancement ofthe end faces of gasket 14 towards the corresponding gasket on the footlid. This arrangement takes care of the contingency that the end facesof the foot and head gaskets do not abut each other as will be madeclear in the following description.

Foot lid 10 is provided with a gasket 34 which may be, for example,rubber. As best seen in Figure 5, gasket 34 has a substantially U-shapedportion 36 with a downwardly extending inner edge portion 38. The frontand rear substantially vertical end faces 40, 40 extend beyond the innerfaces of foot lid 10 and under head lid 6 (see Figure 11) to a pointadjacent the faces 18, 18 of gasket 14. Gasket 34 is also provided witha transverse portion 42 which is engaged in a transverse slot 44 in footlid 1U. As shown in Figure 4, gasket 42 has a substantially verticalouter face 43 which is adapted to engage the substantially vertical face45 of head lid 6. Gasket 34 may be secured to foot lid 10 by an adhesiveas shown at 46 (see Figure 5).

Casket 2 is provided with a closing mechanism 50 as shown in Figure 9.Referring now to Figure 14, closing mechanism 50 is adapted to engagehooks 52 secured to head lid 6 and foot lid 10 respectively. Hooks 52 inhead lid 6 pass through openings 54 in gasket 14 and openings 6i) inbody ange 15. The hooks 52 in foot lid 10 pass through openings S6 ingasket 34 and openings 60 in flange 15.

Closing mechanism 50 has a longitudinal bar 64 which has a flange 66secured to liange 15 of body 4. Bar 64 isladapted to cooperate with aplurality of pull down units 70, each of which coacts with a hook 52.For each pull down unit 70, bar 64 has a slot 72 having a generallyarcuate initial portion '74 and a substantially vertical terminalportion 76. Each pull down unit 70 has a pull down lever 78 whichcarries a fixed pin 80 near its upper end, the pin 8) extending oneither side of lever 78. On its inner side, pin 80 acts as a slotfollower passing through slot 72 and, on its outer side, intersects thevertical plane in which hook 52 lies when the respective casket lid isclosed.

At its lower end, lever 73 is pivotally connected, as shown at 84, tothe lower end of a supporting lever 86. Lever 86 lies in a verticalplane inside bar 64 'and is pivotally connected to bar 64 as shown at88. Lever 78 is pivotally connected to an operating lever 90 as shown atl92. Operating lever 90 is pivotally connected to a lever 94, as shownat 96, and lever 94 is in turn pivotally connected at 100 to a nut 98,threadably secured to bolt 102.

Bolt 102 has a threaded hollow head 104 in which is threadably securedbolt 106 which is tixedly held by pin 107 and which, in turn, has ahollow head 108 in the form of a hexagon for the reception of anoperating crank 109 which is shown in Figure l. Head 108' abuts againsta flange 110 which is secured 'to bushing 114 which is secured to casketbody l4 by threaded angle member 116 which is welded to body 4. Head 108also bears against packing 112.

As shown in Figure 14, the pull down units 70 which are associated withthe hooks S2 secured to foo't lid 10 are spacedso as lto place theirrespective pins 80 further away from their respective hooks 52` at thebeginning of the closing operation than 'the pins 80 associated withhooks 52 secured `to head lid 6 are distant from these lat-ter hooks.This arrangement permits the pull down units associated with the headlid to force the head lid towards Vthe lfoot lid in order tobring therespective "gaskets into tight contact before the pull down unitsassociated with Ithe foot lid are brought into operation to pull thefoot lid downwardly concurrently with the downward movement of the headlid. A plate 119 welded to body 4 (Figure 6) seals the securingmechanism from the interior of the casket.

Although not necessary to the satisfactory operation of the invention,it `is preferred, particularly where the head lid is formed of lightgauge metal, to employ means in the vicinity ofthe lrear of the casketto advance the head lid towards the foot lid. Thus, as best seen inFigure 4, the foot lid may be provided with a cam 120 having a 'slopingface 122 which is adapted to engage a cam follower 124 secured to headlid 6 when the latter is lowered and, just after pins 26 engage the'openings in inserts 20, the cam -120 and the cam follower 124 acting toadvance head lid 6 and, particularly, the rear portion thereof towards'foot lid 10 and also acting to advance rear end face 18 of gasket 14into contact with gasket 34.

The hinges 8, associated with head lid '6, 'each have a lower blade 128and an upper blade 130. The pin receiving bosses Y132 lon upper blade130 are spaced vfrom the pin receiving bosses 134 on blade 128 to permitthe lateral movement of blade 130 on Vhinge pin 136, the hinge `pin 1-36being secured in bosses 13'4 by a tight pressed tit.

' Operation 'In ythe closing and sealing of the casket 2, foot lid 10 islirstl'lowe'red onto body 4 with gasket 34 restingv on flange 1S. Thehead lid -is then lowered onto gasket 14 causing pins 26 to enter theopenings in front and rear inserts 20. Gasket faces 18 and 40 will nowbe abutting or slightly apart `as shown in an exaggerated manner inFigures 14 and l5 depending on the accuracy of 'construction.

Crank 109 is then inserted into head 108 and is rotated 'in `aclock-wise direction which, in turn, results in the clock-wise rotationof bolt 102. This action draws nut 98, lever 94 and operating lever 90to the right -as viewed in Figure 7.

The movement of lever 90 pivots lever 7S/on lever- 86, which remainssubstantially stationary. This moves pins 80 'through portions 74 ofslots 72, the arcs of which have as a `center the pivotal connections84, between levers 78 and 86 respectively. The pins 80, :in: associa'-tion with head lid 6, now engage their respective hooks 52 exerting aforce which causes the movement of head lid 6 on hinges 8 towards footlid 10. This causes the tight engagement of vertical face 45 withtransverse gasket 42. At the same time, pins 26, which entered openings24 in inserts 20, advance the end faces 18, 18 of gasket 14 into tightcontact with gasket 34.

At the end of the lateral movement of head lid 6, and all of vthe pulldown units 70 are brought to the position where the pins are moveddownwardly in portion 76 of slot-s 72, the pins 80 associated with thefoot section are positioned so as to engage 'their respective hooks 52with a downward pull. The further operation of the closure mechanismcauses all of the pins 80 to pull all of the hooks 52 downwardly, thusforming a tight hermetic seal between lids 6 and 10 and ange 1S. Duringthis latter movement, lever 86 moves to the right as viewed in Figure 17and pins 80 pivot in their respective slots 72, as well as movingdownwardly.

When cam is employed, pins 26 engage the openings 22 in inserts 20 aslid 6 is lowered and, as the lid is lowered still further, face 122 ofcam 120 engages cam follower 124 and vlid 6 is advanced towards foot lid10. This, in turn, acts lto advance faces I8 of gasket A14, andparticularly rear 'face 18, into contact with gasket 34. The remainderof the operation is then as described above.

'It is no't 'desired to be limited except as set forth in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

l. A 'casket comprising: a body, a head lid, a foot lid, gasket meansadapted to form a seal between the foot lid and the body and between thehead lid and the body, a transverse gasket secured tothe end of the footlid adjacent the head lid, means to advance the head lid laterally intocontact with said Ytransverse gasket 'and to secure the head and footlids down on said gasket means to hermetically seal the casket, saidlast mentioned means comprising pull down members 'secured to the headlid and foot lid respectively, pull down levers mounted in the casketbody and adaptedy to-'engage said pull down members, means to move thepull downl leverslaterally towards the pull down members in the Iheadlid to exert a lateral force onsaid pull down 'members inthe head lid`towards the foot lid and 'to subsequently move the pull down leversdownwardly to exert a downward force on the pull down members.

2. A casket comprising: ab'ody, a head lid, a foot lid, agasket securedto the underside of the foot lid and having a transverse portion securedto the face of the yfootlid adjacent tov the head lid, a substantially'U-shaped gasket secured to the body under the head lid, engaging meanssecured lto the head 'lid and ladapted to engage openings in saidU-shaped gasket, means to advance the head'ld in't'o contact fwith saidtransverse portion, to advance -said engaging means towards said rstmentioned gasket and to secure the head and foot lids in the `closedposition toY hermetically seal the casket.

3A casket comprising: a body, a head lid, a foot lid, afg'aske'tsecuredtothe underside of `the'footlid and 'having a transverse portion securedto the face ofthe foot lid adjacentit'o ithe head lid, a substantially'U-shap'ed vgasket se-l cnre'd'to fthe body Iunder the head lid, pinvmeans secured to the'head lid and adapted to vengage openings in-sa'idU-shap'ed gasket, `means to advance the head lid into "contact withsaidtransverse portion, to advance sai'clpinmean's towards fsaid'rs'tmentioned Vgasket land 'to secure the head and `foot lids -inV theclosed position to hermeti'cally seal the casket.

4. A'casket comprising: a body, 'a-head lid, afoo't lid, gasket meansadapted to form a Ase'al between the foot lid and the body and betweenVthe head -lid andthe body, la transverse.gasket-Isecured'to tb'efend ofthe foot lid adjacent tle head lid, cam means to advance the head lidlaterally' towards said transverse gasket, `closing 'means 'to advancethe-head? lid laterally towards said transverse gasket y"and" to securetheh'ead and -footlid's down on saidgasketmeans to hermetically seal thecasket, said closing means comprising pull down members secured to thehead lid and foot lid respectively, pull down levers mounted in thecasket body and adapted to engage said pull down members, means to movethe pull down levers laterally towards the pull down members in the headlid to exert a lateral force on said pull down members in the head lidtowards the foot lid and to subsequently move the pull down leversdownwardly to exert a downward force on Athe pull down members.

5. A casket comprising: a body, a head lid, a foot lid, a gasket securedto the underside of the foot lid, a transverse gasket secured to the endof the foot lid adjacent the head lid, a substantially U-shaped gasketsecured to the body under the head lid, said U-shaped gasket havingopen- 15 2,284,921

ings adjacent its ends, engaging means secured to the head lid andadapted to engage said openings, closing means to advance the head lidlaterally toward said transverse gasket and to secure the head and footlids down on said gasket means to hermetically seal the casket, saidclosing means comprising pull down members secured to the head lid andfoot lid respectively, pull down levers mounted in the casket body andadapted t'o engage said pull down members, means to move the pull downlevers laterally towards the pull down members in the head lid to exerta lateral force on said pull down members in the head lid towards thefoot lid and to subsequently move the pull down levers downwardly toexert a downward force on the pull down members.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS PurkissJune 2, 1942 2,533,827 McEwan Dec. 12, 1950 2,533,828 McEwan Dec. 12,1950 2,582,841 McEwan lan. 15, 1952

